Important Note: These images are
presented for educational, scholarly, and artistic research purposes. It is
presented as a comparative analysis of carved and polished wood
styles from various regions of Central America, providing a tool for
students and collectors alike. However, these artifacts are not presented
for sale. While some pieces shown here are in the hands of private art and
antiquities dealers - we do not condone the sale of such pieces since most
have been obtained through the looting of archaeological sites, or other
unlawful means.
Snuff Tablet, 4th–8th century
Tiwanaku (?)
Wood; H. 6 in. (15.2 cm)
« Snuff inhaled through tubes from
small trays or tablets was common in the southern Andes where
hallucinogen use was widespread. Wooden snuff trays have a shallow
rectangular cavity at one end and human or animal motifs or a
combination of both at the other. This snuff tablet is presumed to
have come from the San Pedro de Atacama area and its overall form is
consistent with Atacama works, but stylistic features relate it to
more northern areas. Embellished with open latticework topped by a
crouching creature known as the "moon animal," it is associated with
the art of Recuay in central highland Peru. From the top of the
animal's head—it has big, round eyes and a gaping mouth—descends a
flowing, manelike appendage with two large curls that meet the
rounded-up tail. The animal holds a trophy head in its massive front
paws. Although trophy head imagery is common on Atacama snuff trays,
this tray may be an import into the region rather than a local
variant.
In the Atacama
region of northern Chile, the highest concentration of wooden snuff
trays has been found in burials in association with other
paraphernalia, such as inhaling tubes, spatulas, small mortars and
pestles, and snuff powder containers. The snuff, prepared from
leaves, resin, and seeds of various plants dried and finely ground,
was used to cure various ailments, to alleviate pain and conditions
associated with high altitudes, to provide alertness in war and
hunting, and to induce trances during rituals and ceremonies.
Beaker (kero), 5th–9th century
Tiwanaku
Wood; H. 4 1/2 in. (11.5 cm)
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection
« Cylindrical beakers with
flaring sides, called keros, are a vessel form popular when the cities of
Wari and Tiwanaku dominated the central and southern Andes. Used for the
consumption of chicha (corn beer) during ceremonies and everyday gatherings,
they played an important role in the maintenance of social and political
relations. Keros were made of wood, fired clay, gold, and silver—the
material reflecting the social status of the owner. They are decorated on
the exterior with religious imagery and geometric motifs. On the
circumference of this kero are four anthropomorphized winged figures in low
but crisp relief. Its abstract carving style, distortion of the figures, and
dense ornamentation are characteristic of Tiwanaku art. All four figures
carry the staffs in their right hands that are a symbol of status and
authority in ancient Peru. Two have feline faces looking skyward, the other
two have raptor heads facing forward. Their wings are tipped with profile
animal heads, a much used convention in Tiwanaku art. The cup was probably
found in the coastal desert region where preservation conditions for organic
materials such as wood are best due to the lack of moisture in the soil in
which it was buried.
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